Switch system for mine locomotives



w- Ea Q SWITCHSYSTEM FOR MINE LOGOMOTIVES. 1,413,250.-

APPLICATIO N FILED APR. 28. 1920,

Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

2 suns-sneer I.

INVENTOR) ATTO R N EY WITNESSES w; E. wows. SWITCH SYSTEM FOR MINE LOCOMOTIVES.

Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, I920.

WITNESSES wires stares .FEEQE. 1

'WILL IAM EnwIN" WOLF orwrnnnng VIRGINIA. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E;W0LFE, a

-citizen of the United States, residing at Wilder, in the county ofRussell and Stateof Virginia, have invented a new and useful Switch System for Mine Locomotives, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to a switch 7 However, electric current isneeded for drive 20' ing the mine locomotives in order that the empty cars may be moved into the rooms and filled cars may be withdrawn therefrom. To accomplish this,'the mine locomotive is provided witha reel paying out an electric conductor as thelo'comotive moves into the room from the main trolley line and=taking up the conductor as' the locomotive again moves toward the trolley line. Under'some conditions the trolley lines are arranged sometimes on one side of the track and sometimes on the other and consequently double trolley poles are employed.-

It-is customary to provide the locomotive with a two-way switch whereby the i000- motive may receive current from either the trolley poleor the reel cable. Such switches have been found to be liable to. burn-outs or other such damage, and in the confines of a mine and the very restricted space available. serious accidents happen to the workmen from contact with the switches. f Itis'the object of the invention to wholly eliminate such switches which arenot only .aw'source of dang'erand. inconvenience but are relatively costly structures, and for-this purpose, the trolley pole or poles areso constructedthat they replace the switches, making it possible to preserve the continuity of the electric circuit, even though the trolley pole be removed from engagement with'the :trolleywire. In carrying out the invention, the. trolley pole is removed from engagement with the trolleywire and mechanically and electrically engaged with. a retaining hook which latter is electrically connected to one end of the-flexible conductor on the Specification of Letter s Iatenta Patented 'Application filed Apr-i128; 1920. sari-arms. 377,324.

7 swr'rcn SYSTEM son MINE LOCOMOTIVES";

-Apr.- is, 1922.

gathering reel, while the. other end of the conductor is furnished with a hook or some connecting means which may be electrically applied to the trolley wire in such-manner as to be retained thereby. In this way, current is supplied to the motive means of the electric locomotive through the usual controller,

the gathering'reel as the locomotive "moves away from the portion of-the mine provided the flexible conductor being withdrawn from with thetrolley wire, with the trolley pole serving as the solefswitch means and doing away wlththe customary electrical switch heretofore employed for-th'e'purpo'se.

The invention will be best understoo d' from. a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part. of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawings, but may be changed and'modifiedso long-as such'changes and modificagtions mark no material departure from the salient features of thein'vention asexpressed in the appended'claims. W

. In the drawings, p I Fig; 1 is a side. elevation, more lor'rless diagrammatically shown, of amine locolmotive equipped with the invention and showing the trolley pole utilized as a switch;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the-trolley pole inposition to di rectlyreceive current from the trolley wire. Fig.3 is a'diagrammatic plan. view of the mine locomotive, showing two trolley poles fand omitt-ing the gathering reel, but showing the collecting'ringfor the gathering reel.

Referring to'the'drawings, there is shown amine locomotive 1 which may be of ordi- I nary construction and is therefore only indicated in outline without any attempt to illustrate particular detail. indicated as proyided"withjtheusual controller 2 andissupplied withja gathering The locomotiveis r reel 3 having the customaryf'c'ollecting ring.

4', best shown in Fig. 3. Asthese partsdo not enter specifically into the invention, no attempt is made to'illustrate them except in a general way.

Mounted on the locomotive 1 is'a trolley polev 5 or two trolleypoles 5 and 6, the latter being shown in Fig. 3. The trolley pole or polesv are eachcarried by a support 7 to which it"is connected and each trolley pole isindicated as urged upwardly by a spring 8. Each trolley pole carries the usual trolley wheel 9, and as this trolley wheel may be of ordinary construction, no particular description thereof is needed. The trolley wheel 9 is so located that it may be placed in contact with a trolley wire 10 when needed or withdrawn therefrom. lVhen a trolley pole is withdrawn from the trolley wire 10, it may be moved, against the tendency of the spring 8, toward the top of the locomotive 1 and then caught under a retaining hook 11 so as to be supported in close relation to the locomotive and thus held out of the way.

The gathering reel shown generally at '3,

'is in the form of a spool 12 which may be of ordinary construction and therefore needs no particular description. The gathering reel is for the purposeof carrying a conducting wire 18 electrically connected at one end to the collecting ring 4:, which may be located on top of the locomotive, and at the other end provided with a hook 14 or other suitable device whereby the conductor 13 may be made fast to the trolley wire 10, as, for instance, at a trolley wire hanger 15, so that the electrical vconnection is established between the trolley wire 10 and the conductor 13.

The hook'or hooks 11 are each carried by an insulating block 16, so that the hook itself is insulated, and one hook, in case two hooks are employed, is connected by a conductor 17 to the collecting'ring 4. A trolley pole, say the trolley pole 5, is connected by a conductor 18 to the controller 2, which latter is connected in the customary manner with the locomotive motor, not shown.

In the case of two trolley poles 5 and 6 being used, the hook for retaining the trolley pole 5 in the lowered position is connected by a conductor19 to the trolley pole 6, and the first hook 11 is connected by another conductor 17 toa brush 20 engaging the collecting ring t so that with both trolley poles held down by the hooks 11 a circuit is established from the controller2 through the conductor 18 to the trolley pole 5', hook 11 engaging it, conductor 19, trolley'pole 6, hook 11 engaging the trolley pole 6, conductor 17 brush 20 and collecting ring t through the conductorlij and hook 1 1, to the trolley wire 10, where but one trolley pole is employed, the circuit'is byway of the controller 2, conductor 18,-trolley 5, hook 11, conductor 17, brush 20, conductor 13 and hook 14, to the trolley wire 10.

In either instance, the customary out-out switch universally used in mine locomotives is eliminated and the expense of such a switch and its installation, as well as the danger of such a switch to operators, is wholly avoided. The switch is replaced by the customarytrolley pole which must be present, whetheror; notthe switch. be pres.-

ent', whereby the installation is simplified to a corresponding extent.

that is claimed 1s:- 1. An electric m ne locomotive provided with trolley current-collecting means, a

gathering reel and conducting wire thereon capable of being payed out from the reel and re-wound thereon, and holding means for the trolley current-collecting means electrically connected to the conducting wire on the reel whereby the trolley current collecting means may be utilized as an electric switch and thereby be included in the energizing circuit'of the electric locomotive when the trolley current-collecting means is removed from the trolley conductor.

2. An electric minelocomotive provided with controller and with trolley pole current-collecting means, a gathering reel on the locomotive having afiexible conductor thereon capable of being payed out from and wound upon the reel for electrical connection with a line conductor, a trolley pole hook or retainer on the locomotive for from the trolley wire, the retaining device having electrical connection with the wire on the reel, whereby when the trolley pole is withdrawn from the trolley wire it constitutes an electric switch for coupling the wire on the reel to the controller.

i. A mine locomotive provided with a gathering reel carryingv a feeding conductor, a controller, a trolley pole on the locomotive connected to the controller, an insnlatcd device for holding the trolley pole away from the trolley wire and at the same time making electrical contact with the trolley pole, and electrical connections between the insulated holding device and the feeding conductor on the reel, whereby the trolley pole, when depressed. serves as a switch for coupling the feeding conductor to the controller on the locomotive.

A mine locomotive provided witha gathering reel, a feeding conductor on the gathering reel provided with means 1 for electrically connecting'itto a trolley'wire, a trolley pole on the locomotive, a controller to which the trolley pole is electrically connected. an insulated hook on the locomotive trical Connections between the insulated hook and the feeding conductor on the reel, whereby the trolley pole may be utilized as an electrical switch member for electrically coupling the] feeding conductor on the reel to the Controller on the locomotive.

6. A mine locomotive provided with a gathering reel, a feeding conductor thereon with means for connecting it to a trolley wire, trolley poles, one on each side of the locomotive, insulated holding hooks for the trolley poles individual thereto and carried by the locomotive, a controller on thelocomotive, electrical connections between the' controller and one of the trolley poles, elec trical connections between the holding hook for said trolley pole and the other trolley pole, and electrical connections between the holding hook for the second trolley pole and the feeding conductor on the reel.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, Ihave hereto affixed my signature.

WILLIAM EDWIN WOLFE. 

